Schmid not happy with Open Cup starting for MLS teams during World Cup break

As noted earlier on the blog, the schedule for the 2014 U.S. Open Cup was released by U.S. Soccer on Thursday. MLS teams enter the tournament June 10-18, which is during the league’s supposed break for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Not much of a break then, is it? That was coach Sigi Schmid‘s argument when asked about the issue after practice.

“Don’t get me started on that,” Schmid said, interrupting the question before it was finished.

“The Open Cup comes right at the time when we’re supposed to have off time from MLS,” he then continued following the question. “It’s a situation for us that hopefully the games get scheduled and we play the first game around June 10 or 11, so we can actually give our players a little bit of time off. If they got all excited because they saw an open weekend and said, ‘We’ll schedule the games (then),’ and if they schedule games then, there is no point in us having an off time. We might as well play an MLS game.

“The point is I thought the break was good because it would give us time to give our players a little bit of time off, but also to give our staff some time off. I don’t think our staff has had any time off in the middle of it. Not that I’m planning to go to Brazil, because I’m not, but it would also give people the opportunity to go to the World Cup if they wanted to for four or five days, or six days, whether you’re a trainer or team administrator or something like that. Instead, the New York office will be there and the U.S. Soccer office will be there and the rest of us will toil away here and watch it on TV.”